Statistics

One in ten teenagers in New York City schools reports experiencing physical or sexual violence in a dating relationship within the past year. [1]

1 in 3 teens report experiencing some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships, including verbal and emotional abuse.[2]

A high prevalence of dating relationships of young women between 15 and 24 in New York City are characterized by physical violence (22%), coercion (67%) and forced sexual experiences (37%). [3]

The New York City Domestic Violence Hotline receives an average of 1,400 calls from teenagers every month. [4]

Nearly half of all female homicide victims in New York City are killed in intimate partner homicides. Of these intimate partner homicides, teenagers comprise approximately 8% of the total victims. [5]

About 10% of domestic violence victims seen in the City's public hospitals are under 20 years old. [6]

In a study of young women aged 14 to 23 who sought health services at the New York Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center, approximately 30% of young women reported experiencing sexual assault by a date or acquaintance in the past year. [7]

One study found fewer than 3% of boys or girls reported an incident of teen dating violence to someone such as a teacher, police officer, or counselor; only 6% reported it to a relative. [8]

In a 2005 study of incoming freshmen at a New York City public college, more than 50% of students indicated that a close peer was involved in a violent relationship in the past year. [9]

National Statistics: Youth & Dating Violence

Prevalence of Violence Against Girls and Young WomenIn a study of young women seeking family planning services, 53% of young women reported experiencing physical or sexual partner violence. [10]

One in five girls reported being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner in the past 12 months. [11]

Approximately 2.3 million people each year in the United States are raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. [13]

A woman is more likely to be injured, raped or killed by a current or former partner than by any other person. [14]

In a study of urban high school students, nearly 1 in 5 teens reported perpetrating physical abuse in their dating relationships. [15]

LGBTQ RelationshipsAs many as half of LGBTQ relationships may be abusive—making abuse in same-sex relationships just as widespread as in heterosexual relationships. [16]

Technology and Dating Abuse50% of people age 14-24 have experienced digitally abusive behavior. [17]

22% of people age 14-24 in dating relationships say they feel like their partner checks up on them too often.[18]

More than 1 in 4 people age 14-24 say their boyfriend or girlfriend has checked the text messages on their phone without permission. [19]

One in four teens in a relationship say they have been called names, harassed or put down by their partner through cellphones and texting. [20]

Violence by Boys vs. Violence by GirlsGirls reported that their dating partners were the ones who started the abuse 70% of the time; whereas boys reported their dating partners to be initiators of abuse only 27% of the time. The boys were much more likely to state that they initiated incidents. [21]

For boys reporting they had been subject to a partner's use of physical violence, 17% percent reported that the reason for this violence was because they (i.e. the boys) had been making sexual advances toward the dating partner. [22]

SettingsForty-two percent (42%) of the males and 43.2% of the females who reported abuse stated that this abuse occurred in a school building or on school grounds. [23]

Bystander IssuesDuring the time of the abuse, 40% of the girls and 49% of the boys reported that either another boy or girl or group of people was present. [24]

Acceptance of dating violence among friends is one of the strongest links to being involved in future dating violence. [25]

Rate of Disclosures/Seeking SupportTwo in three teens who are in an abusive relationship do not tell anyone about the abuse. [26]

Another study found less than 3% of students reported being abused to an authority figure (e.g. police, social worker, counselor/teacher). Sixty-one percent of adolescents reporting abuse said they told a friend. Over 30% told no one at all. [27]

Girls who reported experiencing severe sexual abuse reported this to a family member, teacher, social worker, or other authority figure only 6% of the time. [28]

Pursuing a protective order reduces the likelihood of a physical attack by 80%. [29]

Effective Prevention: Teen EducationIn a 2008 study, young people who received comprehensive sex education used significantly fewer acts of violence toward a dating partner by the end of Grade 11. [30]

Teaching young people about healthy relationships and ways to avoid physical dating violence can reduce physical dating violence and sexual dating violence by 60%. [31]

Student Perception: Reasons for the ViolenceYoung people tend to interpret the violence of their partner as signifying love. In one study, 25-35% of the victims interpreted violence as love; 60% felt it had no effect on the relationship; and 40% felt it worsened their relationship. [32]

Dating Abuse, Eating Disorders and Substance Use/AbuseGirls who reported that they had been sexually or physically abused were more than twice as likely as non-abused girls to report smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs. In addition, 32% reported bingeing and purging. [33]

Dating Abuse & PregnancyTeens are at higher risk of abuse during pregnancy than adult women: 21.7% of teens experience abuse as opposed to 15.9% of adults. [34]

High school girls reporting experiences of violence from dating partners were found to be 4 to 6 times more likely than their non-abused peers to have ever been pregnant. [35]

Three studies have found that homicide is the most common cause of death for pregnant women. [36]

Thirty-five percent of women who reported partner violence also reported either pregnancy coercion or birth control sabotage: approximately one in five young women said they experienced pregnancy coercion and 15% said they experienced birth control sabotage. [37]

Dating Abuse & SuicideSuicidal ideation and attempted suicide were about 6 to 9 times as common among adolescent girls who reported sexual and physical abuse by dating partners. [38]

Dating Abuse & Academic PerformanceIn a study of young women in a shelter for displaced teens aged 12-20, 44.4% of non-battered women were attending school, whereas only 22% of battered women were in school. Half (50%) of the non-battered women reported that they made good grades, whereas only 34.1% of the battered women reported good academic performance. [39]

Costs of Intimate Partner ViolenceHealthcare costs almost $500 more per year for women who have experienced intimate partner violence.[40]

The direct cost of medical treatment for battered women annually is estimated at $1.8 billion. [41]

[15] Rothman, E.F. (2010). Perpetration of physical assault against dating partners, peers, and siblings among a locally representative sample of high school students in Boston, Massachusetts. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 164(12).

[36] Martin, S., et. al. (2001) Physical Abuse of Women Before, During, and After Pregnancy. Journal of the American Medical Association, (285)12: 1581-1584. &Dannenberg, A.L., et. al. (1995) Homicide and other injuries as causes of maternal death in New York City, 1987 through 1991. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 172(5):1557-1564.

[37] Miller, Op. Cit.

[38] Silverman, J. et al., Op. Cit.

[39] Richards J. (1991) Battering in a Population of Adolescent Females. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, (3)4: 180-186).

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Day One partners with youth to end dating abuse and domestic violence through community education, supportive services, legal advocacy and leadership development.

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